The 900 Lives of a Leader
by Fwahm
Summary: Fireheart attends his leadership ceremony, expecting something indescribable yet routine, something that happens to every leader. Instead, something happens that no one could have prepared him for, changing his life and the fate of the clans forever.


At last Bluestar approached Fireheart. She was not the old, defeated cat Fireheart had known recently, her mind giving way under the stress of her Clan's troubles. This was Bluestar at the height of her strength and power, prowling toward him across the clearing like a lion. Fireheart was almost dazzled by the glory of starlight around her, but he forced himself to meet her blue gaze squarely.

"Welcome, Fireheart, my apprentice, my warrior, and my deputy," she greeted him. "I always knew you would make a great leader one day."

As Fireheart bowed his head, Bluestar touched him with her nose and went on; "With this life I give you nobility and certainty and faith. Use it well as you lead your Clan in the ways of StarClan and the warrior code."

The warmth of Spottedleaf's life had lulled Fireheart, and he was unprepared for the agony that shook him as he received Bluestar's. He shared the fierceness of her ambition, the anguish she had suffered when she gave up her kits, the ferocity of battle after battle in the service of her Clan. He felt her terror as her mind fragmented and she lost her trust in StarClan. The rush of power grew stronger and stronger, until Fireheart thought his pelt would never contain it. Just as he thought he must yowl his pain or die, it began to ebb, ending in a sense of calm acceptance and joy.

A long, soft sigh passed through the clearing. All the StarClan warriors had risen to their paws. Bluestar stayed in the center of the clearing and signaled with her tail that Fireheart should rise too. He obeyed her shakily, feeling as if the fullness of life inside him would spill over when he moved. His body felt as battered as if he had fought the hardest battle of his life, and yet his spirit soared with the strength of the lives he had been granted.

"I hail you by your new name, Firestar," Bluestar announced. "Your old life is no more. You have now received –" she suddenly cut off, looking behind her. All noise had stopped in StarClan.

From behind her StarClan began to part, and four cats strode through. All of StarClan, from the oldest leader to the youngest kit, bowed their heads. Sensing the atmosphere, Firestar hurriedly did the same.

"It has been dozens of moons since anyone has seen you here, Thunderstar", Bluestar murmured.

Firestar started and raised his head to look at the new arrival; this was the legendary Thunderstar? What would cause someone of his stature to show up at his leadership ceremony? From the scattered whispers erupting all around, he was not the only one to be surprised. Does this mean that the other three cats are...?

"Greetings, Bluestar. We have come to see for ourselves the one for whom the oldest prophecy was written." Thunderstar and his companions studied Firestar, and he felt like they could see all he had done and who he was with a simple look.

The sleek black she-cat to his left spoke, "Are you sure this is the one, Thunderstar? He seems awfully ordinary to me. Can he truly handle the dangers that are coming?"

"Shadowstar, have you not seen what he has already done? Despite his youth, he has already prevented much tragedy, and he has already shown that he values all the clans, not only his own. Do not forget; without him, my clan would likely have never returned, and it was Firestar more than any other that drove Brokentail out." Shadowstar scowled, but said nothing.

The final cat (Riverstar, Firestar assumed) cut in, "That may be true, but the darkness that is coming is like nothing the clans have ever seen in their long history. It seems unlikely that any cat, nine lives or no, has a chance of weathering the coming storm."

There was silence among StarClan, only broken by the occasional whisper among the watchers. Firestar felt overwhelmed; what kind of danger was coming? Was it Tigerstar, or something more? He felt the urge to cower, but he did not wish to disappoint the founders, so he kept his head up, never losing eye contact. The four watched him silently.

After what seemed like an eternity, Thunderstar spoke up, "Riverstar has a point. In the coming times, when the clans will be in more peril than they've ever seen, it may be...prudent to give them the best chance they can have." The four leaders walked up to Firestar, and he fought the urge to look away, or perhaps even flee.

"As such, we will be giving you more lives, in order to help you survive the coming trials." Immediately, there was a massive yowl from the crowd of StarClan cats, dozens of voices crashing over Firestar.

"This has never been done!"

"Is the danger truly that great?"

"What makes this cat so special?"

"SILENCE!" Bluestar howled; Fourtrees was suddenly quiet. "The ancient leaders have seen the future in ways that none of us have, and they have made their decision." She nods to Thunderstar.

Firestar was unsure as to how to react as Thunderstar approached him. He may have been more attuned to StarClan than most, having had dreams since he was a kittypet, but he could never have imagined something like this.

"With this life, I give you determination. Use it well so that no matter what trials come to pass, you will never let them crush your spirit."

Firestar, already exhausted from both the previous lives and the situation he found himself in, nearly found himself collapsing under the rush of energy he felt flowing through him. He suddenly worried that he wouldn't be able to complete the task laid in front of him.

Next came Shadowstar. "With this life, I give you fairness. Use it well to guide your actions in keeping both the clans and your clanmates in harmony."

Firestar's head swam, and he fell to his side, unable to stay standing. However, he had no time to rest as Windstar approached. "With this life, I give you wisdom. Use it well to seek out proper answers to any problems you encounter."

As he looked up, unable to stand again, he saw the last of the leaders bend down. "With this life, I give you forgiveness. Use it well to accept those that regret their mistakes."

Hopefully for a final time, Firestar felt his muscles seize and his senses overload, before going limp on the ground. The ancient leaders, their task done, walked back through the throng of StarClan cats, a path opening as they moved out of their way. Firestar could do nothing but watch, barely able to stay conscious.

Bluestar looked proudly down upon him. "I know that you will be the greatest leader the forest has ever seen, with or without assistance from StarClan." Suddenly, she blinked as another cat separated from the StarClan cats. "Sunstar... What are you doing here?"

"Bluestar, did you not hear what the founders spoke of? The dangers coming for the clans are worse than anything the clans have ever seen, and they will need someone to shepherd the clans to a new dawn, no matter what happens."

Bluestar looked confused. "What are you trying to say, Sunstar? He already has thirteen lives, more than any cat has ever been granted in the long history of the clans."

Firestar was too tired to fully comprehend what was going on, but he could tell that he wasn't being sent back yet. All he wanted to do was to lay his head down and fall asleep (could one fall asleep during a dream?), but he somehow knew that he wasn't done yet.

Sunstar paused, but replied "Yes, but things cannot be left up to chance. While the leaders have seen the future more clearly than the rest of us, it is clear what is coming. If there is anything we can do to help prevent the darkness, we must do it no matter what it takes." He glanced around at the gathered StarClan before saying, "All of us must give him a life so that the future of all of the clans are secure." There was murmuring and subdued agreement among StarClan.

Bluestar gaped at him, momentarily speechless. "You... Can't you see what Firestar has gone through already? He is barely still conscious!".

Sunstar ignored her as he walked up to Firestar's prone form and began to speak. "With this life I give you adaptability. Use it well to keep yourself abreast of any unexpected developments yet to come."

As Firestar lost the battle to stay conscious, he saw with his last vision another cat walking up to him.

* * *

As Firestar blearily opened his eyes, he heard a gasp from nearby. Cinderpelt rushed over and started checking on his condition frantically. "Firestar! Are you alright? You've been out for so long, I thought you might never wake up!" Firestar tried to get up, but he was gently pushed back down.

"What happened? I've never heard of a dream with StarClan lasting so long; it's already sunrise!"

Firestar still felt groggy, and signaled for her to give him some time before he spoke. As Cinderpelt continued to check him over, he thought about what happened during the ceremony. How long had they continued after he had passed out? Given how much time had passed, it must have lasted a very long time. Did that mean...?

He shook his head and decided not to think about it right now; he had to get back to camp before they thought he was dead. He could picture in his mind Graystripe rounding up a patrol (perhaps with Sandstorm and Cloudtail) to come investigate if they took too much longer. "I'm not completely sure, Cinderpelt, but I have my name and my lives, so we need to get back to camp before they send out search parties for us."

Cinderpelt finished giving him a once over and said "Are you sure you're okay to travel? I don't see anything wrong with you, but I'm still worried."

"I'm well enough to travel, yes. Will you be okay? You were keeping watch over me, and you must be exhausted." Firestar stood up and stretched his stiff joints.

"I'm fine; after it became clear you were staying asleep for so long, I decided to sleep myself in case you needed me when you woke up." She gave a long look at Firestar before resuming, "While I was asleep, I got a prophecy from Bluestar. After we've arrived back at camp, I'll tell you all that they showed me."

* * *

It had been a quarter moon, and Firestar still wasn't sure as to the full implications of what had happened that night. He knew he had at least fourteen lives, but did not know exactly how many. He had told no one about what had happened, and had resolved to keep it that way. All Cinderpelt knew was that he had his name and his lives, but she respected his decision to keep whatever happened to himself.

Even after Cinderpelt had told him the prophecy, that __Four will become two. Lion and tiger will meet in battle, and blood will rule the forest__, he still wasn't sure if that was what the founders had meant when they spoke of the coming darkness. Regardless, he knew that all he could do was to keep moving forward.

* * *

Firestar was lying in his den, brooding over the coming battle with the Dark Forest. Even if they won, how many clanmates would he lose before it was over? He had more lives than even leaders did (though he wasn't sure how many; StarClan had never answered when he had asked them); why could he not use them to protect his clanmates from death? He heard a noise at the entrance to his den and looked up to see Jayfeather enter.

"Firestar, Leafpool says that –" Jayfeather suddenly cut off, his eyes widening. Confused by his silence, Firestar asked him to come further inside.

"Is there something the matter? It must be pretty big to keep you silent." As Jayfeather continued to stare sightlessly, Firestar started to worry. "Jayfeather?" Jayfeather flinched.

Clearly hesitating, Jayfeather asked "...Firestar? Do you know many lives you have left?" Firestar's eyes widened.

"Jayfeather... Did... Did you see something?" Firestar was almost afraid of what Jayfeather would say. Was this his chance to find out how many lives he had left? Did he even want to know?

Jayfeather didn't say anything for a long time, but finally mewed, "You were brooding over your lives, and I saw your leader ceremony. You passed out, though, didn't you? You don't know..."

Firestar's head drooped. "You know how many I was given?"

"...Yes. Do you want to know?"

The silence lengthened into what felt like hours. Firestar glanced at Jayfeather, who was still watching him with eyes that did not see like his. After all this time, did he actually want to know?

"I..." Firestar hesitated for another long moment before looking Jayfeather in the eye. "No, I don't want to know. If I don't know how many lives I have, I will live every one to the fullest instead of being tempted to treat them as less than they are. I do not know if I have fifteen or fifteen hundred, but when I run out, I will gladly enter StarClan."

Jayfeather nodded, but did not take his eyes off Firestar.

* * *

"Firestar!" Sandstorm's yowl sounded above the thrumming of the rain. She raced toward the place where Tigerstar had fallen. A body was lying on the ground. Dovewing frowned. Tigerstar had disappeared, right? Why was there still a huddled shape on the bloodstained grass?

No!

She pelted after Sandstorm. He can't be dead! She skidded to a halt and stared in horror at Firestar's body.

Sandstorm buried her nose deep into her mate's sodden fur. "I told you not to waste your final life," she whispered.

Brambleclaw crossed the clearing, rain streaming from his whiskers, and stood beside her. "He didn't waste it."

"Fire will save the Clan," Leafpool whispered.

Graystripe pushed past Tigerheart and Whitestorm and crouched beside his old friend. "I would have taken your place, if you had let me." His voice was hoarse with grief.

Suddenly, with a great gasp, Firestar's eyes opened.

"FIRESTAR!" Sandstorm buried her head into his fur, with Graystripe close behind. Everyone else stood in shock; everyone but Jayfeather.

Brambleclaw and Dustpelt turned to Leafpool. "That was his ninth life, wasn't it?" Leafpool, unable to speak, simply nodded. They looked back at Firestar, uncomprehending.

Eventually, Firestar managed to sit up and send the other clans' members back to their own. Sandstorm, tail entwined with his own, started to clean his filthy pelt, purring all the while, as Graystripe laid down and fell asleep on Firestar's paws. Unable to contain himself anymore, Brambleclaw approached Firestar.

"Firestar... How are you still alive? That was your final life..." Firestar considered Brambleclaw for a long while. He knew how ambitious the younger cat was, and even though he did not let it consume his thoughts or dictate his actions like Tigerstar had, Firestar knew he desired to be leader someday. Glancing at Jayfeather, Firestar resolved to continue keeping his extra lives a secret.

"I don't know, Brambleclaw; I should be dead. Perhaps StarClan still has a destiny for me."

* * *

After many more moons and several more deaths, everyone in the clan had accepted that Firestar did not seem like he would suffer his final death any time soon. As his friends from when he first entered the clan started to die, he started to wonder if the extra lives were worth it. First was Dustpelt, then Graystripe, and now Sandstorm.

"Sandstorm, please hang in there. I'll get Jayfeather; you can't leave me like Graystripe did!" Firestar sobbed into Sandstorm's coat as she lied there, her breathing gradually slowing. Sandstorm affectionately blinked up at him.

"Firestar, death is a natural part of our lives. I do not know what StarClan has planned for you, but I feel that you still have a long life ahead of you ensuring that the clans endure through all hardships. I know you, and I know that you'll never give up, safeguarding the clans until the end. I know that you'll continue to care for them as if they were your kits."

Sandstorm pressed her head against Firestar's. "I do not think it would be wrong to say that you ARE ThunderClan. I don't know when your task will be finished, but I have faith that time will eventually come. With every death I'll be there waiting to greet you, and when it's finally all over, I will be there to welcome you into StarClan."

Firestar continued to sob as Sandstorm's breathing stopped, but resolved to keep going until the very end, for Sandstorm's sake.

He never forgot any of the cats in the ThunderClan from when he first entered the forest.

* * *

As the moons passed, Firestar started to realize that with each life he lost, he was granted some of his youth back. It was never much, and he was always physically an older cat, but his age never prevented him from leading his clan no matter how much time passed. By this point, his seeming immortality was no longer a secret from the other clans.

"Jayfeather, how are you feeling? Should I send for Bristlewing?" Firestar's grandkit had turned even more cranky in his old age after outliving Lionblaze; he reminded him so much of Yellowfang on her worst days. He gave a small smile, deciding not to mention that to him.

"I can feel StarClan calling to me, Firestar. Bristlewing is a great medicine cat, but not even he can keep me here any longer. Before I go, there's one last thing I want to ask you. I'm sure you know what it is." Firestar bowed his head.

"Do..." Jayfeather paused to collect himself. "Do you want to know how many lives you have left? This is... your last chance."

Firestar said nothing, staring at the ground. Several times cats approached the medicine den, only to leave after seeing Firestar sitting there.

Firestar opened his mouth, only to close it again. "...No, I don't want to know. Please tell Squirrelflight and Leafpool that I love them."

"I will." Jayfeather's body slowed, and then stopped.

* * *

As time marched on, it became accepted that Firestar was a permanent fixture in ThunderClan. There were no cats alive that knew him before he was the leader of ThunderClan, and no ThunderClan cat ever took the position of deputy with the expectation of becoming leader in the future. As danger and crises continued to befall the clans, Firestar was considered the one unchanging rock in the clans. Not everyone liked him, but few begrudged him for his eternal position.

* * *

Firestar resisted taking another mate for many, many moons, but he eventually found another she-cat to fall in love with; Fawntail, a small tortoiseshell who could not have been more different than Sandstorm. Where Sandstorm was outspoken and assertive, Fawntail was quiet and kind. Where Sandstorm was an excellent hunter and warrior, Fawntail, while not helpless, did better in taking care of kits and diplomacy between the clans. He had four kits with her, and he loved them just as much as he had loved Squirrelflight and Leafpool.

He would continue to take new mates every few hundred moons, and he never forgot any of them or his many kits.

* * *

Eventually, with guidance from their ancestors, SkyClan returned to the other clans to take their place as the fifth clan. Their shock was immeasurable when they found Firestar, a distant legend from countless moons ago, still alive and leading his clan. Many thought he must be a descendant, but they were assured that they were one and the same.

* * *

Firestar had lost count hundreds of moons ago how many lives he'd spent, but he was sure he was at well over three hundred. By this point nearly every cat in the clans had some of his blood in them.

The clans had moved locations seven times, and Firestar had rebuilt the clans nearly from the ground up after disaster four times. The Dark Forest had returned to attack the clans with new cats several times now, but they were becoming weaker and taking longer between attacks each time. Firestar hoped after one or two more attacks they'd be gone for good.

Firestar did not know what had happened to them, but the Twolegs had disappeared long ago, with the only remaining traces being their abandoned dens and thunderpaths. The concept of kittypets had long been forgotten, and the only remaining knowledge of Twolegs in the clans was a persistent folktale that Firestar had long ago been raised by a race of unknowable giants. He never confirmed or denied it when asked.

The warrior code changed countless times over the moons. Sometimes medicine cats couldn't have mates, sometimes they could have mates but no kits, sometimes there were no restrictions at all. Sometimes clan trespassers were dealt with swiftly, sometimes they were allowed freedom to roam as long as they didn't take any prey. Sometimes cross-clan relationships were banned, sometimes they were considered normal, and sometimes they were even encouraged. However, no matter how much time passed, StarClan was never far from the minds of the clans.

Firestar kept the traditions alive, but never personally interfered in how the warrior code evolved.

* * *

Almost ten thousand moons after he had been born, Firestar found himself suffering from greencough, as he had hundreds of times before.

"Take some of these poppy seeds, Firestar. I'll check on you again after I do my rounds. Haresong isn't doing too well, and Cherryheart is really worried that Mallowkit might be coming down with greencough too."

Firestar, exhausted, glanced over at his medicine cat, Rainfeather. "Don't worry about me. Make sure everyone else is alright first." Rainfeather nodded. Satisfied, Firestar closed his eyes to rest for a while.

When Firestar opened his eyes, he immediately sensed that something was off. However, after glancing around, he could see no one but his sleeping clanmates. Getting ready to go back to sleep, he suddenly noticed a strange blue she-cat standing in the entrance. Something niggled at the back of his mind when he looked at her, but he ignored it.

Firestar immediately tried to sound the alarm, but found that he was too weak and started coughing uncontrollably. He began to panic as the strange cat approached; was she going to hurt his sick clanmates? He struggled to his feet to attempt to fight off the intruder, gasping at the effort.

"Firestar..."

Firestar froze. He hadn't noticed at first in his sickness, but she had stars in her pelt, and she looked so familiar.

"...Bluestar?"

The she-cat nodded sadly. "It's time, Firestar. This is your last life."

Firestar did not respond for many moments, and then collapsed back into his nest. "It's over? It's... really over?"

"It's finally over, Firestar. I've come to take you to StarClan. Everyone is waiting for you."

Firestar closed his eyes for a long moment, before looking at Bluestar once again. "Did I..." Firestar swallowed. "Did I do well?"

Bluestar watched him for a moment, before touching his neck with her muzzle. "No cat has earned their rest more than you. I couldn't have asked for a better deputy."

Firestar smiled, and closed his eyes for the last time.


End file.
